Method and apparatus for controlling and pumping oil-wells.



n. summa, METHOD ANDAPFMTATUS FOR CONYTBOLLIN AND PUMPING OIL WELLS.

APPLICATIQII FILEII` I Al. 5. ISIS.

Patntedptf24, 19178.

@We i NNNWCI v? SHTATEQEENT OFFICE.

l ".,rMHUI' l. l "To' ull'izxkomvtmeyicnncem'sf.. v itlmowrir tliatfI, ROBER'LSTIRL'ING, of ThcM-Aliehorege, Borinens Perk, 'inv the elouuty'i-fsurrey, England, vhave invented celtuij'r'new"and yuseful Improvements infor 'Relating to lVetlmcls2 and Apparatus for Controllingund Pumping (.)il-VVells, Aof which the followingr .is a. specifica-tiomV This invention `relates-ito `fr iniethodl und uppzufatus for "coirtrolliugr-mid raising the "pil-od" 4*"on. from .oil wells und particularly 'Wells'11i/Which'theoil isffound ,in loose send. foruuxtious wii'lr l'uueli, rus under u'essum, whiehforces the send `intoy the well und .up 16 tlieeusiru,` foruiinge pl'uv' of sund tlicreii'i, whicl theflow ofoiiff. The method et `-p resent `erripl-oyed; eoh in encouraging 'lllleflliowf'oli oil; und :29g i; .the easing ind cleaning out `the plug el ud :is often :is it 201'iiy=he iormedf-liri-gtlie 21g, with the obose sand sind ohnilgr :i How moreoi pure oil.r This .'retliod-'entailsseriousI l; of damage to the easing, either when elerfining out the V,send 215.y pliig: Uorwby; the violence` olf." the eruptions io oilgfglis and smul; ,find encourages dl l til-rhein Suoi? `thenstrata which nizw have i iequully; 'serio-us Iresults -i-'xtlgernpts lieve. Abeen l made to control the 'flew hyrestrieting the lisollsurgeerifieeSaity the surface, ,but the gas niets iiuxtlie Vehesiifigif asin e, badly fhroportioned i"uirwl.ift-pu mpt 'egus pe 'uuthrouglrthe liduidiawl tiedlmid faflshiick es the ungvmyid theflow. .The quantity ofr gus p resentf liytlie'oifl; nieyeafse to be sulfi- The .methody of iny illxvent'iou` overcomes :all these dijlfgql gress of; liquid ugiuhe-the quantity of sand earned in by the lliquid is re-A duced and the ,disturbance of the strata at the bottom of the Well is reduced to the minimum, While ,the maintenance of the lloW i in the discharge pipe by the addition of .50 compressedv air to supplement the 'gus present with the oil maintains estendy flow and prevents the sand settling in und choking the discharge pipe. i

. In carrying out thiiinxention I lower `inside the Well easing adrilling tube closed at spe'cmca'tinfof Lette-gramm; Patelflmd Application-fledllllagrh 5, 1,918. VSerie-1 l`pelrioretious ftiou [and .cross section to :r larger` seulel tongiffiintiine' flow, end produc'ztion, will i :ROBERT sTmLING, 0F DoRMANs PARK, ENGLAND.

ivigirrieiiia'himmmerus Foix coNTRoLLING AND PUMPING oIL-WELLs ipe. 24, 191s the bottom by e valve or closing piece es jhereinufter described,` which prevents the oihges and send from enteringr the seid drilling` tube until :t suitably infoptirtionul discl'ulrge pipe has A been illserted,I which when the vulve ,is suitably (.)pezied admits of e steady flow oivfffliquid which will bring in 'little send und' does :not cause distlflrh euer: of lthe strut-1 1.` At the` same 'liii'ue when the is deficient in quzu'itity to muiru'iiin u steady flow gif liquid, cou'ipressed :iii: is aplilied to supplement the It the quen, titzv of liquid yielded he iusuflieieut to nui-iu hline steady flew in the discharge gjiipfu the een he closed und another diselmrge pipe ii'iserted of a. proportioned to the "'field of liquid. l Y

Referring to the drmvings filed lierewith Figures l ind Si iiie vpeni-'t 'diegreun'netic sections ofwui upperntus mede in accordjilnce with this iu vention'.

l Figs. und l i1-eu part sectional elev:, of thefcloslng piece :Fins

.l und show 'the :ilp'lmra us, in so us yr:.our "erus this ili'eutiou, plueed 'in :1 well. A is the ordiruiry protect'ijngj` casing Iof the zwell, li is the thrillingr tube peni `traltilig,f into the oil sund. ijis fitted with u =flrill=iuggr hilt C :is used in ille letting or ro lary ,system oi" drilling, to peuetrzlie. the

, smid, :uul has u had( pressure valve l). The

part :of theensingg above' this E is perforated with l'ioleslm suitable size, which in F are shown closed by th-e'eylindreal yclosing"piece 'or vulve F, und in. Fifi; are sliowr free, the pieve or vulve I4" beine; shown. raised.. This movement is eleeted'h v Ineens ol the discharge pipe (lr screwed into the -].'iiec'e l F. 1In` tlie actief-screwing in, the slot J i i t1' ucd so that the .piu :Il presses through cul part of th lot-fluid the piece F [s r the per Lil t o werfe ins thezletio'n of liiisciewilig i, p1 l Causes the pin H to cuter the horizont-ui part of the slot, und so it holds the piece l? from being` raised. Two such pins and slots will gener-(lll)I be used, one on either side.

The construction of the piece or valve F covering the perforations :md attached-,to the discharge pipe G, the same lettering being used, is shown in- Figs. 3 and 4. Although I consider this the most suitdble form' for the. purpose, any other suitable form of covering piece or valve may be- ,l;sed, and opened or closed by other means than by 'the discharge pipe.

The covering piecebr valve may be rotated in place of being raised to uncover and cover wholly or partly the perforations, and con- ,-nection may be made with the discharge. pipe by other means than by the screwed Joint,

. -as for instance by a bayonet connection.

The apparatus is placed in the well and operated in the following manner The drilling tube B fitted with the drill bit Gand the backpressure valve D andI with the perforations covered by the piece F, is lowered to the sand plug or to thev ground to be drilled and connected to the rotary drill-H, ing plant, and further progress is made inv'- the usual way by rotating the drilling tube and forcing a stream of water" or other liquid through it to clear the sand loosened by` the drilling bit. When the 'dbsireddepth is reached, the pipe G with the air nozzle K of any suitable form, at the proper point in the length is lowered and screwed into'or otherwise connected to the covering piece F. The air and discharge connections for the4 air lift having been made, the pipe is raised sufficiently tblift the covering piece F above all or a' proportion of the perforations suicient to admitthe required quantity of li uid. Compressed air is then applied insu cient quantity to maintain a steady iow of liquid with the aid of such gas as may be present with the oil. The air is supplied to the annular space between the drilling tube B and the discharge pipe G and enters the nozzle K through perforations and so mixes with the liquid in the discharge pipe G.

If it be only necessary to penetrate soft sand, 'the operation maybe carried through without the use of the rotary drillin plant, by the use-Uf the air lift alone. ,In t is case "the drilling tube B'litted withdrilling bit C and with or without 'the valve D is lowered to rest on the sand; the'discharge pipe G with an air nozzle K Iis inserted y'and'screwed into or otherwise attached to the piece or valve made with suitable flexible hose, the coverring piece is .raisedhairis applied and a discharge of. licjiud maintained, the drilling I tube B-'being allowed to sink as .the sand 1s removed bythe discharging liquid. fsWiien The air and discharge connections being.

necessary the drilling tube B with drilling it withthe liquid to be discharged. Other lengths vof pipe are added and the operation .repeated until the desired depth is attained, after which I am'aware that it has been roposed to use a covering sleeve outside the rilling tube to protect the suction piece during the processof drilling, also that it has been proposed the constant discharge is maintained.

to cover the perforationsin the drillingtube Vby an inner tube Ato exclude sand and water during the process'of drilling, which cover- .ling is afterward Wholly removed from the',

drilling tube.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is I 1. The method of controlling and raising liquid in wells characterized in that a drilli'ng tube provided with inlets near its lower end is inserted in the well, said inlets being closed until a suitable discharge pipe has been inserted within the drilling tube when the inlets in the drilling tube are opened and liquid thereby admitted to the discharge plpe.

2.'In oil wells` a drilling tube provided with inlets near fits lower end, means for openingand closing said inlets, and a dischgrge pipe disposed within the drilling tu e.

3. In oil-wells, a drilling tube provided i with inlets near its lower end, a sleeve slid-5 able inside said tube,` to cover and uncoverf said inlets, and a discharge pipe within said drilling tube.

4. In oil wells, a drilling tube prbvided 'with inlets near its lower end, a sleeve inside 4said tube, a discharge pipe attached to said sleeve,`for raising and loweringsaid sleeve so that the sleeve covers and uncovers said inlets, and means for locking the sleeve v its -I lowered'po'sition. i

Inwitness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two sub-.-

scribing witnees.

y ROBERT STIRLING.

Witnesses:

REGINALD EATON Ems,

ROBERT MILTON SPEARPOINT.

roo 

